Category Archives: Travel

My PhD fieldwork in Borneo has come full circle, though not through design. My first few months included Christmas in Singapore and New Year’s at the top of a granite slab they call Kinabalu. Since then, I’ve managed to get … Continue reading →

If you want to be amazed by the world for 5 minutes, check this out: http://timothyallen.blogs.bbcearth.com/ Interestingly, they’ve done some shooting here in Sabah with the Bajau sea-gypsies. I visited one of their water villages down in Indonesia once – an … Continue reading →

One of the most exciting parts of my PhD, for me, is the chance to work in some truly wild places, little explored by people. For some reason Wilderness just does it for me. I think it’s because such places … Continue reading →

Mount Kinabalu, the highest peak between the Himalayas and the mountains of New Guinea, is also supposed to be one of the most accessible ways to climb above 12,000 ft. No mountaineering required. All you need is an ability to … Continue reading →

Yep, that was me. Fellow researchers returning home to loved ones, camp winding down, friends and family variously dispersed around the world, I was left to my own devices this Christmas. Luckily, I received a generous invite from some new … Continue reading →

There’s a book I’ve been recommended more times than I can remember. It’s called Stranger In the Forest, and is (apparently) an absorbing and accurate account of a truly remarkable feat: crossing the breadth of Borneo on foot. Forget Redmond … Continue reading →

…that’s what northern Borneo, now Malaysian Borneo, was originally called by sailors back in the day, rightly obsessed with all things wind. Though not new to Borneo, I’m new to Malaysia. Kota Kinabalu (“KK”) has been my first taste of Malaysia’s interpretation of this strange island. My … Continue reading →

I arrived in Tawau (ta-wow) today – down near the border with Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo). Being a port, handily located next to vast tracts of prime tropical forest, it has built itself on shifting timber through its docks, as well as various … Continue reading →